


The uselessness of etiquette

by That_peach_anon



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:54:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26352994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_peach_anon/pseuds/That_peach_anon
Summary: Logan is quite annoyed at having to learn royal etiquette, but with a ball coming up those manners were required. Too bad he’s in love with his tutor.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	The uselessness of etiquette

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to bully me in the comments if I misspell anything :) Hope you enjoy it!

Logan watched, annoyed, as his tutor droned on about proper bows and poses. He usually loved learning any kind of information, but he could only deal with so many lectures about how to properly bow when courting a princess or asking her for a dance. He’d much rather be sat on one of the library’s armchairs, reading a book about medicinal herbs, astronomy, fairytales even! As long as it wasn’t about ballroom dancing and which utensils to use for what food.  
“And when greeting a Queen you only give a head bow. Now, for a King- Logan? Are you listening?” His tutor snapped him out of his internal monologue. Roman looked down at Logan, an eyebrow raised. “Have you been paying any attention, Your Highness?”  
“Of course not, Roman! This is a waste of my time. The time spent learning about this could be better used reading about something that actually matters. Like politics or military strategies.” Logan complained, causing Roman to let out a sigh.  
“Your Highness, I completely under your view, but you simply must understand; proper etiquette is a symbol of royalty, of power, and most importantly, of elegance.” The tutor proclaimed passionately, puffing up his chest in pride.  
“Then I suppose I do not wish to be royal. Good day, Roman.” He pushed away from the table, the chair loudly scraping the ground.  
“Your Highness, wait.” He let out an infuriated breath. “If this is truly tiring you, we can move on, for now, and start with something more practical and less theoretical.”  
“Fine. But after this, I’m retiring to my chambers so I may read.” Logan affirmed rolling his eyes as his tutor walked off, leading him somewhere. They walked for a few minutes in silence, navigating the castle’s halls and twists. They eventually arrived at large double doors, intricate patterns delicately carved, creating incredibly beautiful pictures and decorations.  
“Here we are.” Roman announced, looking back to find Logan staring at the doors with narrowed eyes.  
“The ballroom?”  
“Precisely.” He turned back around and pushed open the doors, revealing the inside of the chamber. On the very center of the room was a large golden chandelier full of, for the moment, extinguished candles. The ceiling had an overflowing amount of carved swirls and lines, creating an astounding image. The swirls lead to lines that seemingly bled down the wall, painted on a striped wallpaper. The floor was made of polished white marble, reflecting the light coming in through the large windows. Both prince and tutor were currently standing on the top of a staircase that lead to the actual dancing area. On one of the walls were large glass doors, of which lead out to a vast balcony overlooking the royal garden. On the side opposite to the stairs were three thrones, gradually decreasing in size. The largest one was in the middle, obviously the King’s. The second biggest was the Queen’s, sitting to the King’s right. On the left stood a small throne, Logan’s.  
“What are we doing here, exactly?” Logan asked after entering the room.  
“Well, Your Highness, what’s more practical then actually doing what I was teaching you?” Roman only received a blank stare. He let out a breath. “I am going to teach you how to properly dance, this time practically.”  
“I am not dancing, that is a waste of time. I will do no such thing.” Logan crossed his arms, glaring Roman down.  
“Your Highness, I understand your annoyance, but this is of the upmost importance.” Roman said, turning around to look at the prince. “Your family is hosting a ball today. As crowned prince and only heir to the King, you must find a princess to court.”  
“Why a princess, exactly? I’m not particularly enticed by any of them.” Logan complained under his breath.  
Roman seemed surprised by the statement. “I was not aware of the fact that you aren’t interested in women.” He only got a pointed glare from Logan. “Right, sorry. Unfortunately, due to your… situation, your parents expect an heir, and regrettably, you can only do that with someone who has an uterus, Your Highness.”  
“Of course.” Logan groaned. “Let’s just get this over with.” He passed by Roman, descending the stairs. The tutor gave a small smile, slowly following the royal. As soon as they arrived at the center of the chamber, Logan turned to stare at Roman.  
“Well… go on, teach me.” His eyebrow was raised expectantly.  
“Very well.” He lightly bowed towards Logan. “When greeting a lady, you must bow to show interest. If she courtesies you, she is showing interest.” He stood back up straight again. “Placing her flat hand against her chest signals that she is available for more than just dancing, like courting or talking privately.”  
He extended his hand to Logan, palm up. “When interested in courting a lady, you offer your hand palm up. If she is interested, she will place her hand palm down on top of yours. If she is disinterested, she will turn your palm over.” He flipped his hand, leaving it palm down. “If you’re only interested in dancing, you offer her your hand palm down. If she wishes for more, she will turn your palm over.”  
He walked forward a bit, clasping Logan’s hand in his. “Do not squeeze her hand. That is a sign of intimacy and I do believe you’re not intimate with any ladies.” He chuckled at his own joke, only getting an unimpressed look from Logan. “If you are to be married, after the marriage, you may intertwine your fingers with hers.”  
“Since you are so against dancing, I’ll only explain the fundamentals.” He stood beside Logan, aligning their feet. “As the lady stands beside you, you’ll hold her hand and guide her. You firstly will take a step to the left and rise both your feet, standing on the tip of your toes.” He gently moved to the left, Logan imitating his actions. “Now you will repeat your actions but with your right foot.” He pulled Logan lightly to the right, once again standing on the tip of his toes.   
“You will do this twice before moving to the next step.” He pushed Logan to the left, taking a step. “You will take two steps to the left, tapping your right foot to the left in the first step. After your second step, the lady will tap her right foot.”  
“What is the purpose of this waltz, exactly?” Logan piped up, looking down at his feet.  
“Well, this is mostly to flare the lady’s skirt and show off her footwork. When you get married I’ll teach you how to dance on the isle.” Roman joked.  
“Right.” When Logan looked up, he was met with Roman’s face illuminated by the sun’s rays. It created something similar to a halo on top of his head. His auburn hair was perfectly styled, framing his face flawlessly. Logan, though, was stuck staring at Roman’s chestnut brown eyes.  
“Are you alright, Your Highness?” The tutor questioned, tilting his head.  
Logan’s cheeks tinted pink, him turning away to avoid Roman spotting his blush. “I am adequate, thank you.”  
“If you say so, Your Highness.” Roman smiled a bit at Logan, a flurry of butterflies swarming his stomach. “Would you like to take the lead this time? You must practice for when you actually court a lady.”  
“Why yes, of course.” He coughed into his fist, avoiding looking at Roman. They exchanged places, Roman now standing on Logan’s left.  
Both men stood still for a few seconds. Logan was far too busy staring at the floor, focusing on the warmth of Roman’s hand in his. On the other hand (pun not intended), Roman was busy observing the royal, trying to engrave his face into his memory. The brushed back black hair, angular jaw, calculating blue eyes, anything really. Roman was the first to break out of his trance, blinking a bit to refocus where he was. He cleared his throat to claim Logan’s attention, causing the prince to jump a bit.  
“Shall we start, Your Highness?” He asked quietly, watching as Logan blinked, seemingly snapping out of his daydream.  
“Of course.” He started repeating Roman’s steps, although a bit stiffly. The tutor only smiled softly at Logan, not even paying attention to how they were dancing until both stumbled a bit.  
“Are you alright, Your Highness?” He asked, letting Logan’s hand go to place his hand on the other’s hip. Logan’s cheeks gained color, turning a vibrant red. “You seem a bit warm, Your Highness. Are you feeling feverish?”  
“I- I’m fine. Let’s continue, shall we?” Logan answered, turning away to look at his left.  
“If you’re sure, Your Highness.” He said, letting go of Logan’s hip to stand at his front once again. “Let’s start with a dance you can do with a princess that is simple enough.”  
He took a bow and stood in that position, looking up at Logan through his lashes. “You both must greet each other, you with a bow and the princess with a courtesy.” Logan seemed to take a hint and bowed, imitating Roman. They both stood up straight, facing each other. “I’m going to teach you classic ballroom dancing.”  
“Finally something that won’t make me look ridiculous.” Logan complained under his breath. His breath immediately left as Roman moved forward, placing his hand on Logan’s hip. He wouldn’t last a whole ball if this happened every time another person touched him. Roman grabbed Logan’s hand on his empty one, looking down at the royal.  
“Place your hand on my shoulder.” The prince did as he asked. “You’ll be dancing in place of the princess so that I can take the lead.”  
The instructor then started moving to an imaginary tune, loudly counting as he moved in a simple pattern, moving only with long steps. It went right, back, left and front, his movements fluid and light, making it seem like he floated throughout the dance, a drastic difference to the prince. Logan’s movements were stiff and extremely uncoordinated, making it look like he was stumbling through the dance. Roman didn’t seem to mind, only continuing his movements, still counting “one, two, three, four.” This continued for a bit until Logan started to catch up with the non-royal, his movements now looking more calm and elegant. After a few minutes of smoothly dancing with each other, the two men stopped, not moving from their position as both caught their breath, Logan seemingly more out of air then the other.  
“That was very respectable for a first try, Your Highness.” Roman spoke softly, afraid of breaking the serenity that had settled over them. “Very impressive indeed.” The silence washed over them once again, both staring at each other’s face, drinking in each other’s appearances. Roman found himself studying the short male, his gaze kept persisting in landing on Logan’s lips, his cheeks warming up at the thought of what that implied. Logan found himself in a similar situation, his eye-level making him stare straight at Roman’s mouth, thoughts of how plush those lips might be occupying his mind, causing him to blush as well.  
“I’m sure you could charm any princess you wanted with your dancing, Your Highness.” Roman observed, his hand slowly sliding up Logan’s hip, coming up to cup his cheek, the skin warming up under his palm.  
“There is no princess I’d ever want to charm.” Came out Logan’s voice in a whisper, his eyes now glued to Roman’s lips. “I’d much rather charm a prince.” They both slowly leaned forward, their heads leaning to opposite sides, making it so their noses didn’t bump on each other. Just as their lips brushed together, a knock sounded through the room, making both boys jump apart in alarm. One of the large doors opened a tidbit, a servant’s head popping in.   
It seemed to be one of the handmaids, her hair falling over to the side, hanging off her head. She didn’t seem to know what was happening before, only letting out a sigh of relief as she finally found the prince, fully stepping into the room to bow as a greeting to both people “superior” to her. “Pardon me, Your Highness. You are being requested so you may be fitted for today ball’s suit. Your seamstress will be waiting for you in your chambers.” She bowed once more as a way of saying goodbye, quickly walking out of the ballroom. Both men stood still, a heavy tension hanging in the air from the situation they previously found themselves in.  
“I should go and so should you, Your Highness. Farewell.” Roman spoke quickly, not giving Logan a chance to reply as he sprinted out the ballroom, leaving a stunned prince behind. Logan slowly raised his hand to his lips, softly grazing his fingers over them as his cheek warmed up.  
“Right.” Logan muttered, taking deliberately slow steps toward his room, leaving the ballroom with its door open. The walk gave him time to think back to what happened. Why was Roman about to kiss him? And why did the thought of that happening leave a swarm of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, with an overbearing sinking feeling quickly overtaking it? Roman must have been caught up in the moment, the reason why they almost kissed. That would justify why he left so quickly after the maiden (called Kathlyn, if he wasn’t mistaken) called Logan. He had to come back to the present as he realized he now stood in front of his door, the noise of someone moving around in the room being the only sign that the tailor was actually there.  
Pushing open the door, the first thing the royal realized was the noise wasn’t actual white noise but rather the woman singing, her voice soft as she focused on organizing her materials according to a pattern she had apparently imprinted on her mind. Her singing quickly died down as she realized the prince had entered the room.  
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am your tailor and seamstress, Lilliana, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” She bowed out of respect, her simple tattered dress moving with her.  
“Likewise.” Logan said, moving to stand on the small bench in front of a mirror, skipping the formalities and trying to avoid small talk. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”  
Lilliana only nodded, turning around to grab a tape measure and a few pins. They didn’t stay in complete silence too long, the girl starting her humming back up again, moving around Logan as she wrapped the measurer around his torso, arms and waist, jotting the measurements down on a small notebook, the graphite easily marking the cellulose-based product. Logan thought he was about to get his silence when Lilliana stopped humming, only to realize, as he looked in the mirror, that she seemed conflicted, a sea of emotions swirling in her eyes.  
“Are you alright, miss Lilliana?” He asked, wanting the interactions to be as short as possible. He was already going to be forced to court some princess he wished not to, so might as well save whatever social battery he has for the ball. Lilliana seemed alarmed, jumping as she looked at the prince’s eyes in the mirror, quickly looking down.  
“I just- It’s just that you-“ She let out a huff similar to a laugh, fidgeting with the tool which she held. “Is something on your mind, Your Highness? You seem rather troubled. You don’t have to enlighten me, of course, but speaking of your frustrations always relieves some stress, Your Highness.”  
“I am satisfactory; don’t concern yourself with my well-being.” He dropped it at that, not speaking anymore. Lilliana simply nodded, muttering a small “of course, Your Highness” before going back to taking his measurements. They stayed in silence after that, Lilliana not resuming his humming, her moves more hesitant and anxious. Logan then thought for a moment. He could tell her a bit about his predicaments without actually revealing any details and order her silence if needed, him being the prince. Now, you shouldn’t misunderstand this as Logan abusing his power, he only used it when necessary not to risk embarrassment, and although that does seem power-abusive and manipulative, he felt like it wasn’t. The last time he did this was when one of the servants caught him reading in the library at 4 am after he studied into the early hours of the morning when he was still 12 years old. “Actually, there is some baggage I would rather get off my shoulder.”  
“I assume you do not wish for any of this to leave the room, so I shall swear secrecy. I am all ears, Your Highness.” Lilliana said, avoiding Logan’s eyes as a small smile grew on her face. The logical man was confused on how his words would leave the room or how the handmaiden would be made up of ears, but decided not to question it. “Go ahead, Your Highness.”  
“Well, I have found that a few feelings have troubled me, seeing as I’m not too inapt at them, and that deeply angers me.” Logan confessed.  
“Would you mind elaborating on what you were feeling? I promise not to judge you and I would be able to give you advice on what to do, Your Highness.” Lilliana tried to make her voice as least threatening as possible, only eyeing her work, trying not to pressure the prince.  
“If I must. I believe I have ‘caught’ feelings for someone and I am unaware of what I should do.” He spoke nervously, for the first time noticing how Lilliana was done taking measurements, happily moving around the room, grabbing materials and writing down some calculations, preparing to properly tailor the prince’s suit. She laid the suit’s jacket out on a table, grabbing some sort of chalk to mark the fabric and be able to sew it properly. She seemed to realize how Logan had stopped talking, staring at her as she worked.  
“You may sit down, Your Highness.” She motioned to a plush chair in one of the corners, an identical chair next to it only separated by a small mahogany table. After the offer, she didn’t look back, taking pins out of an pin-cushion sitting next to the clothing piece. Logan paced to the chair, allowing the tension to leave his shoulders and for them to sag as soon as he sat down. “I am still paying attention to you, if you are wondering, Your Highness.”  
His hands were holding his head, eyebrows creased as he thought over his emotional state. What was he feeling, really? He firstly felt content because of how Roman had almost kissed him, but all of that was easily overshadowed by the ultimate dread from the fact of how Roman had left so quickly. Why did he leave so fast? Was Logan really so unpleasant that after almost kissing him, Roman felt the need to run away?   
Logan considered himself a fine gentleman, if not a tad prideful, but he did not let that get on the way of his manners, so he assumed people would enjoy his company. Given he did not understand emotions and people that much, he couldn’t affirm the last sentence with 100% guarantee. Both dread and joy felt muddled, as if in the back of his mind, an incredible pain filling his chest. His mind felt numb and empty, like his thoughts were unclear and all the words that passed through his brain were heard from underwater. It was horrible, achingly agonizing, like a small fire kindled by the awful sentiment of heartbreak, like hundreds of needle piercing his chest, leaving an excruciating sting in his heart, which he detested profoundly.  
He only noticed there were tears dripping down his face after Lilliana let out a gasp. “Oh my, Your Highness! Are you alright?” She worried, dropping the suit’s jacket as she ran over, stressing over him, not exactly knowing what was wrong.  
“I fear I am not. Pardon me, Miss Lilliana.” He spoke, trying to keep all emotions out of his voice, failing miserably as it wobbled, revealing his sadness. Lilliana, in a moment of panic, hugged the royal, allowing him to cry into her shoulder.  
“Forgive me, Your Highness! I never meant to cause you any distress!” She spoke hurriedly, in fear of what punishment she would receive for upsetting the prince. Logan took a few moments to compose himself, softly pushing her so she let go. Her arms stopped incasing him, falling to her sides. Looking up, Logan noticed how nervous she looked, biting at her lip and pulling it’s dead skin with her canine teeth. He stood up, scrubbing at his face to try and dry his cheeks and not look like he was just crying, even though he was doing just that. The tailor then turned around, looking at the suit’s jacket thrown on the table. “I should get back to doing my job, Your Highness. If you require my assistance, I shall be here.”  
Logan sighed before turning towards the door, already heading towards it as he noticed how much time had passed. The sun seemed about an hour away from setting, meaning Logan had three or so hours to get ready.   
That night of prepping himself and getting ready to the ball was a blur, quickly passing by as Logan got lost in his thoughts, robotically bathing and allowing the tailor to dress him as she fixed the suit perfectly, adding or removing any details she felt necessary. His suit was a deep blue with black accents, a black sash running over his chest. On his head was his silver crown, small sapphires engraved, reflecting off the light. Lilliana fixed his sash one last time, making sure the prince looked as best as possible.  
“Good luck with your ball, Your Highness. I hope you enjoy yourself.” She spoke softly, stepping back to look over the prince one last time, smiling satisfied at her work. She curtsied him, watching, unmoving, as he left the room, heading towards the Ballroom.  
Logan found his parents standing in front of the large double doors. His mother, Queen Nandita, had her arm hooked around her husband’s, King Wil, both waiting for Logan. “There you are, son.” Wil’s voice was deep and softer, or at least more than normal.  
“Hello, Father.” Logan greeted shortly, giving him a nod of acknowledgment. His mother nodded back, giving him a small smile, her eyes quickly scanning over him and her head nodding in approval.  
“Shall we go in?” Nandita asked, looking at her husband. The king nodded and turned towards one of the servants who stood by the door. He gave them a nod and they ran off, entering the room before speaking. Logan heard a muffled ‘and now our very own King, Queen and Prince, of Medaenao!’ followed by a wave of applause, the doors opening to reveal the whole ballroom, now packed with nobles and royals. He followed his parents in, eyes scanning the crown as he spotted Roman who stared at him from the middle of the crowd. He had to wait impatiently as the queen and king slowly descended the stairs, him following a step behind. All three paced until they reached the thrones, the King’s eyes skimming the crowd before he smiled proudly. “Let the ball begin!” In addition, there was another wave of applause.  
Just as he was about to walk away, his mother grabbed his arm, the soft smile still present on her face. “Do try and talk to Princess Patience from Waiston, please? We would greatly benefit from an alliance with them.” He nodded annoyed as she let go, waving her hand to dismiss him. From the other side of the ballroom, he missed Princess Patience hearing her parents say the same about Logan but to her.  
She took off through the ballroom, mirroring Logan who flowed through the crowd, trying to find Roman. Eventually, the prince and princess met up, both looking alarmed to actually find each other. “Prince Logan. A pleasure it is to meet you.” She courted him with her dress, his response being a bow.   
“Likewise.” Just as he was about to walk away, music started playing, floating through the air. The princess seemed uncomfortable as she looked over at him, conflict swimming in her green eyes. “Would you like to dance?” Her question was quiet, Logan almost missing it. He looked around once more before noticing Roman was nowhere in sight. Deciding to give in to his fate, he accepted, extending his hand forward, which she accepted. They were both awkwardly holding each other, Logan’s hand almost floating over her waist while her hand barely touched his shoulder.  
They both started moving with the song, equally distracted, looking around the room. Patience spotted someone, letting out a sigh as she realized they were remaining next to her parents, simply standing guard. With the knowledge of where the person was, Patience paid attention to her current dance partner. She observed as his eyes darted around the ballroom, as if looking for someone. “Is there someone you’re looking for, Prince Logan?”  
That startled Logan out of his trance, causing his cheeks to warm up subtly as he remembered he was dancing with someone. He hesitated before shaking his head unconvincingly, making the other royal raise an eyebrow at him. Now that both were paying attention to each other, an awkward tension hung over both of them, making the princess frown. She faltered on her dancing; trying to find something they could talk about. She noticed how Logan seemed repelled by any movements that required intimacy between both of them and an idea popped into her mind.  
“You’re not into princesses, are you?” Her question caught Logan off-guard, making him misstep and almost topple both of them over. His cheeks warmed up severely, making Patience smirk victoriously as the prince sputtered for an answer. “It’s alright, you know? I’m not into princes either, so you have no need to worry over judgment from me.”  
“I have no clue what you’re talking about. My sexual and romantic attraction is none of your concern, so I need not answer you.” Logan said, regaining his composure and getting back into the flow of the dance, although a bit more gracelessly. Patience rolled her eyes at him, smiling softly as they moved about, her dress swishing behind them as she gained more confidence. Knowing Logan was as repulsed by the idea of marrying her as she was by the idea of marrying him gave her no fear of accidentally leading him on, so she didn’t worry about dancing in any way that could indicate she wished to actually court him.   
“Uh-huh, sure. Girls attract you and I don’t have a crush on the Royal Guard’s captain. What are you going to fibber about next? That you’re no prince?” She joked, laughing at the end. Realization dawned on both of them to what she just admitted, making Logan open his mouth to speak. Immediately, Patience used the hand resting on his shoulder to cover his mouth, making him glare unimpressed at her. “Don’t say anything. I already have my mom on my case about how I ‘shan’t marry some royal captain, for my blood is royal and so should be my spouse’s’. I like the royal captain, they’re amazing, promise not to say anything about it?”  
Logan nodded, quite annoyed at having a gloved hand on his mouth for so long. Patience removed her hand, giving him a sheepish smile once he looked back at her. “That was unnecessary. You could have just told me from the start that you wished not for this secret to be revealed.” He complained, jaw feeling a little sore from how hard she put her palm.  
“Apologies, I panicked.” The music then faded, clapping from the bystanders ringing out all around them. Both Patience and Logan quickly let go of each other, the princess brushing her dress as if to get rid of inexistent wrinkles. “Well, we should continue this conversation elsewhere, I believe. The middle of the dancing floor is not an ideal place for idling about.”  
“Of course.” He agreed, both walking away, heading towards the large door on the side leading to a balcony. When arriving at it, Logan pushed it open, extending an arm to motion for Patience to pass, her bowing her head in thanks. He closed the door behind them, allowing the cool and silent night air to pass over them, both royals letting out a sigh of relief as the stuffiness of the ballroom was left behind.  
Patience leaned against the railing, shaking her head to let her hair bun loose, the straight locks falling down and showering her shoulders and back. Logan leaned on the railing beside her, letting out a huff as his posture fell, the breath moving the hairs in his forehead. “So, are you going to admit not being into princesses now that we’re alone?” She shimmied her shoulders, bumping them into Logan’s and raising her eyebrows. Logan’s face seemed to warm up, but she couldn’t tell due to the fact the only light coming in was from the ballroom.  
“I presume I should. I am, indeed, attracted to males.” Patience let out a whoop, raising her arms as she stepped backwards in a sort of victory dance. She was chanting ‘I knew it!’ under her breath, smiling as she pointed over to Logan, moving her shoulders in a silent beat. Logan rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head. “Stop that, would you?”  
“Okay, sorry, sorry!” She raised her hands in surrender before laughing. She slowly walked back over to Logan, standing straight beside him. “You know I’m not mocking you, right?”  
Logan only responded by rolling his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thought over all his life decisions. Why did he just tell a princess that he wasn’t attracted to her? His parents would surely be disappointed if he failed on courting her because of this moment. “You don’t believe me, do you?” Patience asked, something similar to hurt passing through her eyes, “Fine, I’ll just prove it to you.”  
She grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the door, making Logan panic. What was she doing? Was she about to expose him because of his disbelief? That would definitely not be ideal. She stopped in front of the glass door, cupping her hands around her eyes as she pressed them over the glass, scanning the crowd. “Aha!” She proclaimed in victory, gripping Logan’s arm as she pointed over to someone standing next to a queen and king. They had a helmet on their head, a few curly locks dropping from the inside, falling over their face. Their armor had Patience’s kingdom insignia on the back, a sword on the holster tied around their hip, hand by their sides ready for fighting. “That’s Kay! They’re the royal guard’s captain!”  
“And what does that have to do with anything?” Logan asked, raising one of his eyebrows at her. Patience’s cheeks darkened, her gaze avoiding Logan as she twirled one of her hair’s strands around her pointer finger, smiling embarrassed.  
“That’s the person I’m in love with…” She whispered, looking back at Logan to see his eyebrows raised and eyes widened in surprise. Her blush started going down her neck, making her cover her face with her hands. “Don’t look at me like that! I don’t know how to react!” She whined, shaking her head at the prince.  
“I just didn’t anticipate that. Forgive me.” He spoke.  
“It’s fine. It’s just embarrassing to admit it to someone else.” She lowered her hands, using one of them to brush her hair behind her ear. “Do you… do you have someone you’re in love with?” She asked, raising her eyes to find Logan blushing and biting his lip. “You do! Oh my goodness, that’s so cute! Who is it?”  
“It’s… it’s my tutor.” He confessed quietly, watching as Patience’s eyes lit up, a smile bursting through her blush, making him squirm uncomfortably. “Don’t make a big deal out of it, please.”  
“’Don’t make a big deal?’ Of course it’s a big deal! This is your gay awakening!” She exclaimed, turning to pace as she muttered under her breath, Logan turning to stare at her confused. What’s a gay awakening?  
“What are you talking about?” She seemed to ignore him, letting out a small ‘huzzah!’ as she turned to grin at him, pointing over to the inside of the ballroom.   
“You need to ask him to dance!” She said, running over to grab his shoulders and shaking them in excitement. “It would be so perfect! You would ask him to dance and then you would admit that you love him and you’d both get married!” She started squealing, letting go of his shoulders to cup his cheek while smiling enthusiastically at him. She took his hands and started twirling him around in a ballroom dance, singing “The joy and pain of love” loudly.  
Logan shook her off, annoyed at her excitement. She looked confused at him, letting her arms drop as her smile dimmed considerably. “What’s wrong?” Her voice was coming out in short huffs, the princess trying to catch her breath as she stopped dancing. Logan turned around to look out into the night sky, mumbling something under his breath. “Pardon. What was that?”  
“He rejected me.” He spoke louder, gripping at the railing and trying to ignore the pang on his chest. He could hear a small ‘oh’ from behind him, letting out a humorless laugh as Patience’s slow steps neared.  
“When did he do that, if you don’t mind me asking?” Her voice was quiet, barely heard over the music blasting from the room behind them. Logan didn’t answer for a few seconds, feeling more than seeing as Patience leaned against him, offering a peculiar form of comfort.  
“He left right after we almost kissed.”  
“You guys kissed?” The princess’ eyebrows furrowed as she looked from the corner of her eye to Logan.  
“Nearly. We were interrupted by a maiden knocking at the door.” He felt Patience tense up, as if startled. She then started laughing, hugging onto Logan’s arm as her laughter floated through the air, melodious and joyful.  
“You both are morons!” She gasped between laughs, her eyes watering from the lack of air.  
“Pardon?” Logan inquired offended, turning to look over at the other royal.  
“How are you both so oblivious?” She questioned, smiling at Logan softly, her voice filled with fond annoyance. “I have to set you two up!”  
“I am done with this conversation.” He pulled his arm out of her grip, walking back to the ballroom. The princess ran after him, lifting her dress to avoid falling, hair floating behind her.  
“No, don’t!” Her voice was still filled with mirth, the regal women jumping at him, hugging around his chest as she pulled him backwards, Logan fighting against her, pushing her arms and chest so she’d let go of him.  
“Stop this at this instant!” He complained, still fighting as she pulled him towards the ground, shoving her laughing face into his back. Logan rolled his eyes in annoyance, waiting until Patience calmed down and actually spoke.  
“I’m sorry, it’s just… this is such a funny misunderstanding!” She said, letting go of him as both sat on the ground, only one of them smiling. “I think you both need to talk before you make any brash decisions.” She got up, brushing off her dress as she tried to fix it as best as possible, a large smile still on her face. “I’ll go grab him for you.”  
“You don’t even know what he looks like… and you’re gone.” The princess had already left Logan on the balcony, leaving the doors closed as she moved through the ballroom, her eyes fleeting over the crowd. Maybe Logan should just leave and admit to his parents that he wished not to marry princess Patience. Anything to get her not to interact with him at this point.   
The ballroom doors bursting open interrupted his train of thought, three people walking into the balcony. Logan grimaced as he realized one of the people were Patience. She was dragging two people behind her, one of them apparently the royal guard she was in love with. On her other hand was-  
Logan’s heart stopped as he realized the princess was pulling Roman with an alarmed expression on his face. Their eyes met and he felt dread pool at the bottom of his stomach. “Roman.” His voice was cold, masking the absolute hurt at seeing the tutor again.  
“Your highness.” Roman greeted, avoiding his eyes as he stared at his shoes, rocking on the balls of his feet. Kay and Patience’s eyes kept switching between the prince and tutor, a smile on the princess’ face, the other’s expression only radiating confusion.   
“What’s going on here?” Kay asked, looking around the balcony, their sword in hand, as they searched for danger. “Where’s the danger, Your Highness?” Patience had the question directed at her, who blushed while looking away.  
“There isn’t any danger; I just wanted to spend time with you without my parents breathing down my neck.” She admitted blushingly, rubbing the back of her neck. The captain seemed to calm down a bit, letting their guard down, putting the sword back into its holster. “Apologies.” She whispered to them, only getting a nod in response. The four of them stood in silence, an awkward tension hanging over Roman and Logan’s heads. The princess let out a fondly irritated sigh, rolling her eyes at both men. “We’ll never get anything solved if you both keep avoiding the issue at hand, you know that, right?”  
Both men started stammering, complaining about how there wasn’t any issue and they weren’t avoiding anything. Kay seemed to catch on with the situation, smirking at them. They nudged the princess, motioning with their head to the dancing couples inside. Patience seemed to understand, smiling as she slipped away, not noticed by the talkative men. Kay observed as she entered the ballroom, avoiding her parents talking to Logan’s as she ran up to the orchestra, speaking to one of the men. The man nodded, turning to speak to his comrades, who all smiled and stopped playing the current music.   
The prince and tutor didn’t seem to note as she slipped back out, clapping along to the excited beat slipping through the slightly ajar doors. She grabbed Kay by the hands, spinning them around as she tapped her feet to the beat, making the royal captain roll their eyes. The bickering pair looked over at Patience with confused stares, Logan letting out a yelp as she pulled him in, letting go of Kay’s hands to spin him around, Roman laughing in the background, amused.   
Kay didn’t let him stay still for long, grabbing Roman and mimicking Patience, spinning him around as they laughed. Both princess and royal guard kept changing person, trading them with each other through spins and claps. Patience then smirked over at Kay, only to get a similar expression in response. Nearing the end of the music, Patience started spinning Roman, who, as they danced, was being moved by her, while Kay spun Logan, both people having a hard time since both men were taller than they were. As the last few notes hit, they both let go of their respective dance partners, making both spin until they bumped chests, Roman’s arm winding around Logan’s waist and Logan put his arms around Roman’s neck to avoid them both toppling over, making Roman hold him in a sort of dip.  
The prince looked up wide eyed at the tutor, noticing how, although Roman’s face was coated with a blush, he had one of the most arrogant expressions on his face. “So, do you come here often?” Roman’s voice was flirtatious, making Logan roll his eyes.  
“In your arms? No, but I’d sure like to.” He answered back smoothly, smirking smugly as Roman’s blush spread more.   
“You two should kiss!” Peach screamed, getting a slap to the back of the head from Kay. The princess whined as she rubbed the back of her head, complaining about how that hurt, being quietly scolded by Kay as both princes looked alarmed over at the pair, momentarily forgetting they were there.  
“Well…” Roman started. “I can’t disobey a princess, now can I?” He leaned down just as Logan moved up, making their lips meet in the middle. They ignored as Patience let out whoops and Kay laughed, the noise of the ballroom fading away, leaving briefly only both boys there, on a balcony kissing in absolute bliss.   
They slowly separated, Logan slowly opening his eyes to see Roman looking down at him with an incredibly tender expression. For the first time in a while, Logan smiled an actual smile, pulling Roman towards him for a hug, making both boys fall over as they laughed, both of them in absolute joy. The moment was ruined as Patience started crying loudly, halfheartedly trying to wipe them away as Kay looked alarmed, attempting to soothe the crying royal. Both boys in love rolled their eyes as Kay gave the princess a handkerchief, softly patting them dry as to not disturb any of the makeup present.  
“It’s just so cute!” She kept repeating as she cried into their chest, the captain simply patting her back and trying to hold back laughter. Roman and Logan both got up, the latter more annoyed then amused at Patience’s antics. She eventually stopped crying, looking at the boys with smudged makeup on her cheeks. “That was so adorable! You two are so cute together!”  
She smiled as she linked arms with Roman as she started dragging him away, whispering to him about how she was going to be their maid of honor in their wedding, Kay following behind her shaking their head fondly. Maybe having Patience as a friend wouldn’t be too bad, in Logan’s opinion. And maybe he was way in over his head by being so sure that his parents would allow him to marry someone not from royalty. All he knew was that the knot on his stomach was gone and his chest felt light, and for now, that was enough. He should thank Roman later for teaching him how to dance, otherwise he might never have been in this position: with the man he loved and a princess that was a tad too annoying as his friend.


End file.
